3D Technology Offers Sustainable and Personalized Ways of Garment Making
Dutch designer Iris van Herpen was once the only prominent name in fashion to infuse futuristic technology and fashion design. She created her first 3D dress in 2009, a printing process that took seven days to complete. Today, 3D design making is completely mainstream and fashion regularly experiments with technology and machinery.
Photo courtesy of Models.com
At the 2019 MET Gala, designer Zac Posen created accessories and dresses using 3D printers owned by General Electric for his clients. Actress Nina Dobrev wore a Cinderella-inspired glass dress whose bustier was printed in a process that took 200 hours. Model Jourdan Dunn’s rose petal gown was made using 21 3D printed rose petals that took five months to plan and create.
Photo Courtesy of New York Embroidery Studio
In the mainstream and within fashion brands, 3D printers are oftentimes used to create accessories that supplement a garment or add embellishments. During New York Fashion Week in 2019, a joint collection by designers ThreeASFOUR and Travis Fitch unveiled the Greta-Oto dress, which featured photopolymers that used light to change the garment’s color as the model walked.
While 3D design offers the industry innovative ways to create and design clothing, it also helps further sustainability and zero waste efforts in fashion. Textile waste, a significant source of pollution, is also produced during the manufacturing process and discarded as excess. Developing 3D technology can help limit this amount of waste by prioritizing custom designs and ensuring nothing is thrown away.
Photo Courtesy of FashNerd
The California start-up Unspun uses their printing and body scanning technology dubbed “Vega 3D” to create custom jeans. The process involves using the Unspun app and the Face ID feature to scan a customer’s body and create a body model. Using the data, the company then creates jeans meant to be a perfect fit.
Some brands are also adopting complete 3D approaches in their design. In 2017, American designer Julia Daviy announced that her collections would be produced via 3D printers. She released The Organic Skirt, which was created using large-format printers which was the first digitally printed clothing item available in the US market. The garment was also made using recyclable filaments to lessen any negative environmental effects.
Others are choosing to incorporate futuristic technology with traditional methods of garment making. Ganit Goldstein, an MIT design student, used a blend of ancient Japanese weave making called Ikat weaving and 3D printing to create unique fabrics. At the Royal College of Art, she presented a final project that explored the production of “large-scale embroidery patterns with conductive thread and virtual reality application to rethink how fabrics can be an interactive tool, set both as digital and physical artifacts.” For her submission to the Horizon 2020 EU funding program, she designed a seamless kimono using 20 pieces of fabric and a 3D printer.
Photo Courtesy of threeASFOUR Website
The conversation around 3D technology and its advantage over traditional garment manufacturing often hinges on one factor: customization. Through these technologies, clothing can be personalized to a customer’s measurements and aesthetic preferences. But it also helps freedom for designers and allows them to create shapes and silhouettes that are otherwise not possible.
Concerns about 3D designs, however, revolve around cost, equipment and quality. Unspun denim, for example, costs approximately $200, and restricts a large financial bracket from purchasing it. Brands also have trouble accessing 3D manufacturers and printers whose quality may not be up to par. But constant innovation and solution-finding are occurring with more brands committed to sustainable manufacturing methods.
Article by Sneha KC, Contributor, PhotoBook Magazine
Tearsheets by Alexa Dyer, Graphic Designer, PhotoBook Magazine
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